<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Two Sides by Smokestarrules</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24292897">Two Sides</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokestarrules/pseuds/Smokestarrules'>Smokestarrules</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, So I have a hc that Sienna and Adam knew each other since they were kids, bc obviously she's not alive anymore rip, idk it's interesting to me, the death is Sienna btw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:40:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24292897</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokestarrules/pseuds/Smokestarrules</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“It was a job well done,” he says back, and she can nearly see the cogs in his head turning. He also has been forced to grow up much, much too soon. After a moment, he holds out his hand. “Adam,” he says. “Taurus.”</p><p>An invitation. Sienna smiles.</p><p>“Sienna Khan,” she returns smoothly, shaking his hand firmly. “Pleasure.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adam Taurus/Blake Belladonna - mentioned, Ilia Amitola/Blake Belladonna - one-sided, Sienna Khan &amp; Adam Taurus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Two Sides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Two Sides</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span><br/>
They grow up together on the streets of Mistral. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sienna doesn’t ask what happened to his parents, and he doesn’t ask about what happened to hers. She also never brings up his scars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They work together, sometimes, stealing food and other supplies from wealthy humans. They work alone, sometimes. It’s just the way it is; they’re certainly not partners, but there’s a mutual respect between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sienna doesn’t even know his </span>
  <em>
    <span>name </span>
  </em>
  <span>until their sixth meeting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good work,” she says approvingly, only the age of ten but as fierce as any adult. “That was a quick hand movement there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s how they work; Sienna, the cute one, with the pretty dark stripes and small orange ears will distract their target with whatever conversation she’s specifically cooked up for this particular person. Then he swipes the person’s pockets, anything of value, and once, the person’s belt, just for laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They don’t talk about how he’d never be able to be the distraction unless willingly giving himself up to scorn. Not with that face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a job well done,” he says back, and she can nearly </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>the cogs in his head turning. He also has been forced to grow up much, much too soon. After a moment, he holds out his hand. “Adam,” he says. “Taurus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An invitation. Sienna smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sienna Khan,” she returns smoothly, shaking his hand firmly. “Pleasure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He then leaves. She hadn’t expected anything less.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fast forward many years, after they’ve both gone and joined the White Fang and Adam has gotten his </span>
  <em>
    <span>mask</span>
  </em>
  <span> and they're official partners now and Sienna is climbing the ranks quickly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>easily, </span>
  </em>
  <span>even, and Adam is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam is not because his tactics can be a little… harsh, and while Sienna mostly agrees with what he does, High Leader Belladonna does not. Sienna never defends Adam, though, even when he’s berated in front of the entire organization. She must not reveal that she believes he is correct. She will continue to blend in, so to speak. Adam wouldn’t expect anything otherwise, anyways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>High Leader Belladonna pairs Sienna and Adam with two young, wide-eyed recruits; Ilia Amitola, a small chameleon faunus from Atlas, and the High Leader’s own daughter, Blake Belladonna. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The High Leader tells Sienna, “I trust you to teach them how to be a helpful member of the White Fang,” and even if she doesn’t fully agree with Belladonna’s near </span>
  <em>
    <span>submissive </span>
  </em>
  <span>strategies, she obeys, because she’s not there yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She takes Ilia under her wing, and Adam takes Blake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The beginning of the end; Sienna cannot read Adam as easily anymore. They’ve never been close, per say, but above all, they’ve always respected each other. She wonders if Adam’s head is getting a bit too big for his shoulders, with how much Blake seems to fawn over him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ilia is intelligent, and Sienna quite enjoys her company. She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect </span>
  </em>
  <span>for stealth missions and scouting trips, something Sienna herself also excels at, and the two get along just fine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only problem is that Sienna, who has never </span>
  <em>
    <span>cared</span>
  </em>
  <span> for anyone alongside her parents before they died, has </span>
  <em>
    <span>no </span>
  </em>
  <span>patience for Ilia’s infatuation with Blake. Besides, it doesn’t matter; anyone with eyes can see Blake is just as head-over-heels for Adam as Ilia is for her, if not worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s another failed protest. Sienna seizes the chance and rallies the rest of the White Fang to derive </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ghira </span>
  </em>
  <span>of his throne. </span>
</p><p>She’s pleased to see that it works, almost easily, and even his own daughter Blake has nothing to say in his defense. Sienna had respected Ghira, she really had, and she understood his tactics had been what the White Fang needed at the time. But times change.</p><p>Leadership has a cost.</p><p>
  <span>Sienna cannot take the chance of any accusations of favoritism. She distances herself so well she is seemed as if untouchable. She doesn’t see the people she’d spent a lot of time with - friends? She’s not sure -  much anymore. And when she does, it’s from across the camp. Blake always looks like she’s under too much pressure these days. Ilia seems even more besotted with Blake than usual, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adam..</span>
  </em>
</p><p>Adam has changed. Sienna cannot read him at all anymore. </p><p>As the White Fang grows around her, the attacks grow more violent, yes, but sometimes, when Adam is left alone with an Atlas official for an interrogation and comes back with blood on his robes, Sienna wonders if she shouldn’t be enabling him this way.</p><p>So she takes him off full-out raids and he becomes even worse. </p><p>He scouts with Ilia for not even a week before the two return to camp, beaten and bloodied. According to Adam’s report, the police had spotted them in the trees not long after arriving. According to Ilia’s, Adam had deliberately provoked them.</p><p>
  <span>Sienna is sure she knows who is telling the truth. Adam is sending a message here; </span>
  <em>
    <span>let me fight, or even worse will follow.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>Sienna still believes she can sway Adam back into what is good for everyone, so for now, she puts him back on the front lines in Vale to keep him content. It does, at least for a little while.</p><p>
  <span>It works until he returns to Mistral alone one night, going on and </span>
  <em>
    <span>on </span>
  </em>
  <span>about these humans who can help them; who serve a master so powerful she’d be able to give the faunus what they want.</span>
</p><p>Sienna does not want to work with humans, and she tells him so. She can’t believe he’d suggest this!</p><p>
  <span>“They hate humanity as much as we do,” Adam tells her, for once without his mask on, so that Sienna can see the spark of passion in his eye. “And if we help them achieve their goal, they’d reward the White Fang </span>
  <em>
    <span>tenfold.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>Humans cannot be trusted. Sienna has relearned that time and time again.</p><p>Adam, however.</p><p>
  <span>Adam </span>
  <em>
    <span>can </span>
  </em>
  <span>be.</span>
</p><p>She agrees to talk with this group of humans on her turf soon. Adam takes that as the victory it is and returns to Vale, triumphant. He goes out on a mission with Blake immediately after, and his good mood is soured.</p><p>Blake leaves.</p><p>
  <span>Blake leaves and Adam, never one to be calm in </span>
  <em>
    <span>any </span>
  </em>
  <span>situation, is suddenly nothing but burning flames of fury to a likes that scares Sienna. Blake leaves and tears Ilia’s heart in two. Blake leaves and Sienna </span>
  <em>
    <span>doesn’t know what to do to help.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>Ilia is still directly under Sienna’s command. She tries to turn Ilia’s grief into anger like Adam’s, because anger is easier to deal with, but it doesn’t work. After a few weeks of trying, Sienna eventually sends Ilia to work at the Menagerie branch. Perhaps Corsac and Fennec Albain will be good influences on her.</p><p>And Adam, she sends to Vale, in the hope that he can find something there to work at and distract him. </p><p>
  <span>That turns out to be a mistake; Adam finds out that Blake is enrolled at Beacon not even two days later. Sienna just </span>
  <em>
    <span>barely </span>
  </em>
  <span>manages to convince him to leave her be until their attack. She doesn’t remember the following months well- just a haze of work and preparation. She still doesn’t fully trust the humans Adam has allied himself with, but she trusts Adam’s judgement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The attack on Beacon is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>complete and utter failure. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sienna is left </span>
  <em>
    <span>furious. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>No one had told her the attack would be as horrible as it was- she hadn’t known the humans were going to attack as well, and with one of them taking over Atlas androids…</p><p>
  <span>The attack should’ve been an </span>
  <em>
    <span>attack. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nothing more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It ended up being a </span>
  <em>
    <span>slaughter.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>And so Sienna sends for Adam. He arrives that day, coming into her tent without so much a nod of respect. Her hackles rise, but she pushes the irritation down. “We will not be working with those humans,” she tells him, firmly and quickly, “ever again.”</p><p>
  <span>Adam </span>
  <em>
    <span>growls. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Next time,” he says, passion and fury bleeding a perfect mix into his voice, “they will be better. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We </span>
  </em>
  <span>will be better. The humans have </span>
  <em>
    <span>plans, </span>
  </em>
  <span>High Leader. Plans that we need to be a part of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They only seek to </span>
  <em>
    <span>use </span>
  </em>
  <span>the White Fang!” Sienna argues. “You may not see it but </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They don't care about us. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adam. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Don't let yourself be tricked.”</span>
</p><p>He bares his teeth; red energy is cracklings around his sword. Sienna isn't scared. “You don't understand! They-”</p><p>
  <span>“No, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>don't understand,” Sienna interrupts him. “Have you forgotten your place? You are not the High Leader. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>“Have you grown soft, then, High Leader?” Adam asks darkly. He waits a moment before chuckling. He's calmed himself. He's always more dangerous when he's calm. </p><p>
  <span>Sienna shakes her head. “Of course not,” she says measuredly. “But I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> thinking ahead. We will not be joining these humans in anymore missions. Do you understand?” When Adam opens his mouth, she adds, “that's an </span>
  <em>
    <span>order.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>Adam doesn't say anything. Not for the first time, Sienna wishes he'd never found that cursed mask. She doesn't like not knowing what he's thinking.</p><p>Finally, he turns to leave. “Very well,” he says, his back to her. Sienna watches him go with stern eyes. “I will obey.. High Leader.”</p><p>And then he's gone.</p><p>He’s misguided, but Sienna can control him a little longer. He's simple, really; like an attack dog. Keep giving him the blood he craves and he will continue to serve her, and, subsequently, the White Fang.</p><p>She trusts him. </p><p>
  <span>Sienna trusts Adam up until the very moment he stabs her in the chest. It is the greatest failure of her life, putting her faith in him, and it is the last mistake she’ll ever make. She falls to ground, blood pooling in her lungs as he steps toward her seat. Her fingers twitch over a nonexistent weapon. He sinks down onto her throne and she can </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>his smirk. </span>
</p><p>The last thing Sienna Khan hears before she departs this world is the sound of Adam’s laugh.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>